Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major rural cemetery in the United States and one of the few cemeteries in the country designated as a National Historic Landmark. Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... The rural or “garden” cemetery was a revolutionary 19th century design that combined burials with landscaping in a rural, park-like setting. ... USS Constitution. ...

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John Jay Smith, a librarian and editor with interests in horticulture and real estate who was distressed at the way his deceased daughter was interred in a Philadelphia churchyard, founded Laurel Hill in 1836. He and some other prominent citizens decided to create a rural garden cemetery five miles north of Philadelphia that was viewed, at the time, as a safe haven from urban expansion and that would be a respite from the increasingly industrialized city center. Image File history File links Portal. ...

History

Famous Revolutionary War figures were initially relocated to Laurel Hill Cemetery to increase its cachet, including Continental Congress secretary Charles Thomson; Declaration of Independence signer Thomas McKean; Hugh Mercer, hero of the Battle of Princeton and director of the U.S. Mint, David Rittenhouse. During and after the American Civil War, Laurel Hill became the final resting place of hundreds of military figures including 42 Civil War era generals. Laurel Hill also became the favored burial place for many of Philadelphia's most prominent political and business figures including Matthias W. Baldwin, founder of the Baldwin Locomotive Works; Henry Disston, owner of the largest saw manufactory in the world (the Disston Saw Works), and Peter A.B. Widener, the financier. The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 - August 16, 1824) served as the secretary of the Continental Congress through its entirety (1774-1789). ... A declaration of independence is a proclamation of the independence of an aspiring state or states. ... Thomas McKean Thomas McKean (March 19, 1734–June 24, 1817) was the second President of the United States in Congress assembled, from July 10, 1781, until November 4, 1781. ... Hugh Mercer (sketched by John Trumbull). ... David Rittenhouse. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Lincoln, President Ulysses S. Grant, General Jefferson Davis, President Robert E. Lee, General Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action... Matthias William Baldwin (December 10, 1795 – September 7, 1866) was an American manufacturer of steam locomotives. ... Baldwin Locomotive Works builders plate, 1922 The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. ... Henry Disston (May 24, 1819 - March 16, 1878) was an English-American industrialist who founded the Disston Saw Mill and developed the surrounding neighborhood of Tacony in Philadelphia. ... Disston Saw Works was one of the better known and highly regarded manufacturers of handsaws in the United States. ...

Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1998, Laurel Hill Cemetery with its spectacular vistas and thousands of 19th Century and 20th Century marble and granite funerary monuments encompasses 74 idyllic acres terraced above the Schuylkill River in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Forests of obelisks dot the rolling terrain highlighted by elaborately sculpted hillside tombs and mausoleums. Overall, Laurel Hill contains more than 33,000 monuments and more than 11,000 family lots. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Schuylkill River, pronounced SKOO-kull (IPA: ), is a river in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ...

Designed by noted Scottish-American architect John Notman, Laurel Hill introduced new landscape ideas and burial concepts and became a model for the rural cemetery movement. Laurel Hill Cemetery stands as a rich repository of both art and historical artifacts. Its monuments embody the rich design, craftsmanship and iconography of 19th and 20th century American funerary art, from simple obelisks to elaborate mausoleums. John Notman (1810-1865), a well known American Architect, was born in Scotland and educated at the Royal Scottish Academy. ... For the obelisk punctuation mark, see dagger (typography). ...

Much of the significance of Laurel Hill cemetery derives from its large number of mausoleums, built in a wide variety of styles by some of Philadelphia’s most distinguished families. Classical Revival, Gothic Revival, Egyptian Revival and other exotic styles are rendered in a wide palette of materials, including marble, granite, cast-iron and sandstone. Notable artists and architects, including Notman, Alexander Milne Calder and William Strickland contributed their designs. These monuments tell many stories of the history and evolution of not only the cemetery’s growth, but also of social and economic changes, the legacy of wars and of the individuals who shaped our nation’s history. For information about the economic theory, see neoclassical economics. ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic revival was a European architectural movement with origins in mid-18th century England. ... Egyptian Revial mausoleum of Maj. ... Alexander Milne Calder (1846 – 1923) Biography American sculptor, born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the son of a tombstone carver. ... This article is about the 15th century priest. ...

From its inception, Laurel Hill was intended as a civic institution designed for public use. In an era before public parks and museums, it was a multi-purpose cultural attraction where the general public could experience the art and refinement previously known only to the wealthy. Laurel Hill became an immensely popular destination in its early years and required tickets for admission. The writer Andrew Jackson Downing reported “nearly 30,000 persons…entered the gates between April and December, 1848.” Andrew Jackson Downing (born October 31, 1815 - died July 28, 1852) was an American landscape designer and writer from Newburgh, New York and the editor and publisher of The Horticulturist magazine. ...

In 1978, The Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded to support the cemetery. The mission of The Friends is to assist the Laurel Hill Cemetery Company in preserving and promoting the historical character of Laurel Hill. The Friends, in accordance with its by-laws, seek to achieve its mission by raising funds and seeking contributed services; by preparing educational and research materials emphasizing the historical, architectural and cultural importance of Laurel Hill Cemetery; and by providing tour guiding services so that the cemetery is available for educational use by the public.

As an important local destination, Laurel Hill is seen as a cultural gem and a destination for historians and connoisseurs of architecture and horticulture as well as for the interested public. Laurel Hill provides a fusion of history and art and is the final resting place of many of Philadelphia’s famous and elite.

Some of the notable persons buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery are:

• Matthias W. Baldwin (1795-1866), businessman, Baldwin Locomotive Works
• Henry Disston (1819-1878), businessman, Disston Saw Works
• Fitz Eugene Dixon, Jr. (1923-2006), businessman, sportsman, Chairman Emeritus of Widener University
• Thomas McKean (1734-1817), lawyer and politician
• Hugh Mercer (1726-1777), military officer
• David Rittenhouse (1732-1796), astronomer, inventor, mathematician, surveyor
• Charles Thomson (1729-1824), secretary of the Continental Congress
• Joseph E. Widener (1871-1943), Throughbred owner/breeder
• Peter A. B. Widener (1834-1915), business tycoon, major philanthropist

Matthias William Baldwin (December 10, 1795 – September 7, 1866) was an American manufacturer of steam locomotives. ... Baldwin Locomotive Works builders plate, 1922 The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. ... Henry Disston (May 24, 1819 - March 16, 1878) was an English-American industrialist who founded the Disston Saw Mill and developed the surrounding neighborhood of Tacony in Philadelphia. ... Disston Saw Works was one of the better known and highly regarded manufacturers of handsaws in the United States. ... Widener University is a private, metropolitan university located in Chester, Pennsylvania. ... Thomas McKean Thomas McKean (March 19, 1734–June 24, 1817) was the second President of the United States in Congress assembled, from July 10, 1781, until November 4, 1781. ... Hugh Mercer (sketched by John Trumbull). ... David Rittenhouse. ... Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 - August 16, 1824) served as the secretary of the Continental Congress through its entirety (1774-1789). ... The Continental Congress is the label given to two successive bodies of representatives of the inhabitants of the Thirteen Colonies in 18th century British North America: The First Continental Congress met from September 5, 1774, to October 26, 1774. ...

See also

• List of United States cemeteries
• List of famous cemeteries
• Mount Moriah Cemetery
• The Woodlands Cemetery

// Arkansas Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock - known as Westminster Abbey of Arkansas; California Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles; Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles; Chapel of the Pines Crematory, Los Angeles; Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma is the burial site of William Randolph Hearst and other members of the Hearst family... This is a list of famous cemeteries, mausoleums and other places people are buried, world-wide. ... Mount Moriah Cemetery, was incorporated in 1855 and established by an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature. ... The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark on the western banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. ...

External links

• Laurel Hill Cemetery
• Digital fascimile of 1876 Illustrated Philadelphia Directory with description of cemetery (Adobe .pdf format)
• interactive aerial perspective photo